


All Things Unsaid

by TheImperfectionista



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animal Attack, Character Death, Dramione Fanfiction Writers 2020 Challenge, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Mild Gore, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22378237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheImperfectionista/pseuds/TheImperfectionista
Summary: "Many of the faces he knew from work, but he never liked any of them or had a desire to sit with them in the canteen for lunch. That was one thing he never told her. She was the only colleague, he enjoyed working with."
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 1
Kudos: 41





	All Things Unsaid

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the DFW 2020challenge. Based on the prompt 'three things he never told her'.   
> I should make a disclaimer now that I do not own the Wizarding World and I owe a debt of gratitude to Tridogmom for being a fabulous beta.

It rained the night before and well into the morning as the guests, all dressed in somber black, filed past the iron-wrought gates of Highgate Cemetery.

“Malfoy.” He turned to face a grim-faced Potter. His eyes were red and his black robes were crinkled. “Are you really going to give a speech?” the boy who survived asked.

“It was in her will, right?” he replied. The neatly folded speech was tucked away in his breast pocket and pressed against his heart. “This must be Granger’s way of giving me a homework assignment,” he joked. 

Potter responded with a thin-lipped grin.

“You’re on after the Minister’s speech.” 

Draco nodded in understanding and Potter turned away, walking towards the clan of redheads and embracing the small Weaslette girl. Draco focused his attention to the crypts he walked past. He tried to admire the intricate masonry and the balance between nature and the yellow stone housings; instead of contemplating why he was here. It would break him before the whole event began.

The visitors huddled under umbrellas surrounding a tomb. The Minister of Magic stood at a small podium to the side, his face cheerless as he addressed the gathered mourners.

“As Minister of Magic, it is my honour to speak to you during this service honouring the life of a very unique and special witch, Hermione Granger,” Shacklebolt started.

“I’d like to thank you all for attending Hermione’s service. It means so much to her loved ones that so many of you have turned up to pay your respects. She would have been pleased to see you all here.” he continued.

Draco’s mind drew blank as Shacklebolt continued his eulogy. His eyes scanned the faces of the congregation. Some already had tears streaming down their cheeks. Many of the faces he knew from work, but he never liked any of them or had a desire to sit with them in the canteen for lunch. That was one thing he never told her. She was the only colleague, he enjoyed working with.

  
  


* * *

_ “Don’t you have someone else to bother on your lunch break?” she asked him with a smile on her face. Her hands moved the books to make room at the canteen table for his tray. _

_ “My only job satisfaction, Granger, is to make your management job as challenging as possible,” he replied, using his Quidditch reflexes to snatch a chip off her plate. _

_ Hermione protested and tried to reclaim a roast potato off his plate, but he was faster than her, catching her wrist in his hand. _

_ “You shouldn’t be stealing chips off your supervisor’s plate. I’ll report you,” she warned. _

_ Draco let go of her small hand which grabbed one of his roast potatoes. He smirked at her threat.  _

_ “I’d like to see you try round up smugglers on the next mission without me,” he warned, noting how much he enjoyed pushing her buttons.  _

* * *

  
  


“Hermione Granger. Your colleagues and friends will miss you dearly,” Shacklebolt finished his speech with a quivering breath. 

The normally stoic man seemed shaken and stepped off the small podium. It was now Draco’s turn. Slowly he made his way to the front, whispers surrounded him as he stepped onto the platform.

_ “What’s he doing here?”  _

_ “When is Harry Potter going to give his eulogy?” _

_ “Can’t believe a Death Eater has the cheek to turn up to her funeral.” _

Draco steadied his breathing, emptying his mind of all the emotions whirling inside. If he didn’t hold it back, he might snap at someone. Something he didn’t want to do, not for his own appearances. He didn’t care what others thought of him, but he cared what Granger would think if she knew he lost his temper at her funeral. 

His hand pulled out the carefully written script he prepared, staring at the ink which swirled on the paper. He took another deep breath and the ink became defined into words.

“For some reason, unbeknownst to me and many of you, Hermione Granger asked me to speak to you all today,” he started. The whispers hushed in understanding.

He continued, “everyone who knew her would agree that a witch or wizard disobeyed her orders at their own peril.” 

A few people giggled at the truth and Draco went on with reading his speech.

“Hermione Granger was many things. She was brilliant, generous, determined and caring. She cared so much, she campaigned for better werewolves’ rights and now an employer cannot refuse to hire a werewolf who has a clear Wolfsbane prescription.” 

Draco paused. His tongue swelled up in his mouth, the words on the paper stared back at him. His mind told him to read and recite when his throat protested as if a stone settled in his airways. He couldn’t continue with reading this. It didn’t feel right. There was only one thing he really wanted to say. But that was another thing he never told her; he loved her.

* * *

  
  


_ It happened so quickly. She was duelling with a Chimera smuggler, trying to arrest the man. He was focused on taunting the beast to get it into a protective cage, staying well away from the lion’s jaw, the goat horns and the snake’s venomous fangs at the same time. It was like many missions they’ve had before. Their tactic had always worked. The Chimaera had one paw already in the cage and he was at the back of it, waiting to close the trap in the cage and Apparate out. _

_ But then the smuggler gave a sharp piercing whistle and the Chimera’s heads turned. It pounced, it’s lion jaws locking onto Granger’s torso, tearing at her. She let out a shrilling scream. _

_ Cold fear swept over Draco as he sprinted over and threw a stunning hex at the animal. It released her and the goat lowered it’s horns, before it pounced at him. He Apparated to a spot twenty feet away as the beast pounced into thin air and into the cage. The trap door closing and sealing behind it. _

_ Ignoring the roaring protests of the beast, Draco’s eyes sought for Hermione. The smuggler had escaped and blood pooled around the witch on the ground. _

_ He ran to her. Collapsing on his knees, he rested her head on his lap as uncorked a bottle of Wiggenweld with his mouth. _

_ “Drink the entire bottle!” he ordered. _

_ Her lips opened for him and his hands shook as he poured the potion down her throat. Discarding the empty bottle, he took out the small vial of dittany. Haphazardly splashing it over the exposed muscles, bones and organs. The wound sizzled around the edges, skin and flesh trying to knit itself back together but blood continued to flow out of her.  _

_ The potions weren’t enough. They knew. His heart was in his throat, trying to suppress the rolling of his stomach as he sent a Patronus back to the Ministry for medical assistance. A silver wisp of smoke emitted from his wand. _

_ “Damn it!” he swore. _

_ “It’s going to be fine Malfoy” Hermione whispered.  _

_ Her breathing was shallow, her face pale and sweaty with pain. _

_ “You need a healer right now. I can’t side-along Apparate you in this state.” he panicked. _

_ “Just calm down for a second, it will help you cast your Patronus.”  _

_ She raised her hand at him and without much thought, he entwined his fingers with hers. A sense of pure joy, he could hold her like this without her objection. _

_ Draco casted another Patronus, this time a silver unicorn rode out and carried his message in a gallop. _

_ “Draco,” Hermione whimpered.  _

_ Her hand, weak with blood loss, squeezed his hand gently. Her mouth opened as if she had something important she wanted to say. Her brown eyes widened as she stared into his face and rolled back as she lost consciousness. _

* * *

Blinking rapidly to shed the fresh tears from his eyes. He took a shaky breath as he scrubbed his tears from his face. He stared out into the crowd of mourners. Hastily folding the paper and shoving it back into his pocket, he spoke again.

“Hermione was taken too soon from us. It’s not fair because she was the very best of us all. There won’t be a single day when she won’t be missed.”

That was when Draco fled the funeral. He gave up being polite as he pushed his way through the crowd and down the winding path of the cemetery. his vision blurry from fresh tears. That was one final thing he never told her; he didn’t know how to live the rest of his life without her.

  
  



End file.
